Folding mechanism



Muay 28, I C' s CRAFTS Er AL Re.

FOLDING MECHANI SM Originl Filed Deo. 14, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ressued.May 28, 1935 i l11e-19,1591

FoLnING Macnmsu Curtis s. crans ma charles Alum unless, oak

Park, lll., assigner-s to The Company, Chicago, lll., Iliinois GossPrinting Presa a' corporation of Original No. 1,895,124, dated January24, 1933, Serial No. 580,930, December 14, 1931. Application for reissueSeptember 9, 1933, Serial No.

11 Claims. -(Cl. lill-409) The invention relates to new and usefulimprovements in sheet gripping devices, and in certain' aspects thereofmore particularly to improved spring grippers or folding jaws especiallyadapted for use in printing presses.

Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in parthereinafter and in part will be obvious herefrom, or may be learned bypractice With the invention, the same being realized and attained bymeans of the instrumentalitles and combinations pointed out in theappended claims.

The invention consists in the novel parts, constructions, arrangements,combinations and improvements herein shown and described.

embodiment of the invention, and together with the description, serve toexplain the principles of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view showing in elevation a gripper embodyingour invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view showing in elevation a somewhat differentform of gripper embodying the invention;

' Fig -3 is a plan corresponding to Fig l;

Fig. 4" is a plan corresponding to Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section on line 5-5 of Fig. 6 showing inelevation a. folding jaw embodying the invention; and

Fig. 6 is a plan corresponding to Fig. 5.

The invention is directed to providing novel and improvedl sheet taking.instrumentalities, operating by a gripping or clamping action, eithermedianly or on the edge, of a sheet or group of sheets, as in feeding orfolding; and in its main features being capactated for use either in agripper nger mechanism or a folding jaw mechamsm.

The invention provides as a gripping or clamping device, a resilient jawor finger comprising a plurality of laminated spring leaves graduallyincreasing in length from the shaft or like support forwardly toward thefree end, the engaging pressure being exerted by said resilient forwardend.

Preferably also the entire laminated spring device is maintained underinitial tension, which is immediately imparted to the sheet or sheets atthe moment of contact, and prio to any additional pressure that may beapplied through further movement of the mechanism.

In accordance with certain features of the invention, these devices aremounted and operated as a plurality of fingers or the like, mounted sideby side on an actuating support, such as a rockable shaft, the variousmembers thus exerting an individual resilient gripping or jaw actionwhen engaging the sheet or sheets. but the entire mechanisxn movingtogether between open to closed position.

features, comprises a shaft, or like support, upon which the resilientsheet-engaging and holding instrumentality is mounted; the shaft beingrocked through a small angle to effect the opening and closing movement,and this may be done by a cam mechanismof standard or other suitableform. In either the gripper or folding jaw mechanism, there ispreferably employed a plurality of sheet-engaging individual members, oflaminated resilient spring material, and mounted upon the shaft orequivalent support, whereby they have common opening and'closingmovement but each member has independent or individual resilient actionwhen engaging the sheet or sheets. Further, in said preferable form,eachof the individual resilient sheet-engaging members is constructedand mounted as a unit, and in addition means are incorporated forimposing upon each resilient sheet-engaging member an initial tension.All of the foregoing features conduce to simplicity and eillciency inmanufacture, assembling and operation.

Said mechanism when employed as a gripper mechanism, is less liable tobreakagethan a solid strip or bar of metal; is softer and more flexiblein its act-ion, and does not hit the cylinder with a hammer blow, butwith a cushion blow which does not loosen the gripper on the shaft, orloosen or disintegrate the shaft and its bearings. Furthermore. thelaminated gripper, being very flexible, will take'a wide variation inthickness of products without the necessity of resetting, as is the casewith stiif, non-flexible gripping members, and permits of side-by-sidehandling of a product or products of various thicknesses.- The grippercan be made relatively small and light with respect to the imposed duty,which greatly eases the strain on the cam motion. The proper tension isalso held on the sheet at all times when the gripper is in contactwithit, and the sheet is released instantly upon a very small movement ofthe shaft; that is, there is no lag and unnecessary movement of theshaft to build up tension and release it.

In the embodiment oi the inventionv in a folding jaw mechanism there isrendered possible a very light construction, with a relatively shortjaw, whereby the4 work or strain on the cam is reduced to a minimum,andthe tendency of a heavy iaw to knock to pieces or disintegrate thecam mechanism is obviated. The folding Jaw may be formed in a pluralityof members openingv and closing together. but having individualreslllent action during the folding operation.' The individuallyresilient jaw will hold products varying relatively greatly inthickness, and it will be found unnecessary to reset the Jaw in caseproducts of different thicknesses are run side-byside.

In the employment of the invention, either as a gripper or folding jaw,devices are provided for imposing on each individual member initialspring tension, which gives an instantaneous` preliminary pressure ofpredetermined magnitude the moment the gripper finger or folding Jawengages the paper, and it is unnecessary to have an increased movementof the shaft' or like supportv to build up this tension'. This gives auniform tension with a minimum amount of throw.

Referring now in detail to the present preferred embodiment of theinvention illustrated byway of example in the accompanying drawings, aform of double gripper mechanism. such as is frequently employed-oncylinder sheet-fed presses, is shown in Fig. i. The cylinder struc.

ture is indicated at i, and a pair of gripper supporting and actuatingshafts 2 and 2 are shown.

mounted in the cylinder. These shafts are periodically rocked through asmall angle, in the usual manner, and this may be done by any standard,well-known, or other suitable mechanism (not shown). g

As so embodied, for each of the individual gripper fingers, a pluralityof apertured supports it are mounted on the shaft 2 or 2, the supportsbeing spaced along the shaft (Fig. 3). These supports are split, areslipped on the shaft. and

have two lugs il and i2 facing at either side of Y Y upon a support I5,and abut against a lug 22, both preferably formed as a part of thesupporting member i0. An upper or outside retaining member I6 rests uponthe springs and also preferably'abuts against lug 22, and the grippingfinger and supportsare held together by suitable means such asa rivetil. 'nie laminated leaf springs llareof graduated length. increasingforwardly toward the front. or sheet-engaging end. The means for'placingthe gripper nger under initial tension is preferably a part of thesupporting member Ill, and as shown, a projection 2l is formed in theforward end of the member I5 projecting toward the laminated spring`iin'ger Il, whereby the gripper finger is under a desired initialtension between the parts `IG'and 2|, and a corresponding pressure isimmediately transmitted 'to the sheet or sheets as soon as it is'engagedby the gripper finger.

In Fig. 2 a similar construction is shown, mounted on supporting andactuating shaft I, and operating as an auxiliary gripper, cooperatingwith a gripper ofthe type shown in Fig. 1,

by a machine bolt 2l (Figs. 2 and l4). Certain of the parts shown inFigs. 2 and 4 and designated by "a following the reference character maybe identical with similar parts in Fig. l.

The invention as embodied in a folding Jaw is exemplarily shown in Figs.5 and 6, mounted on a cylinder or like member 22. 'Ihe supporting andopening andV closing means is shown com-i I prising a shaftV Il, mountedin the cylinder 22,

jaw members 24 are mounted on a supporting plate 35 underneath and havea holding and clamping plate 26 above. The entire spring mem-A berstructure is fastened together by a rivet 21. The entire device isseated in a recess in shaft 2| and the rear end of the device abuts onthe rear wall of the recess, and it is held in place by a machine 4bolt3l passing therethrough and screw-threaded into thevshaft 2|.

In the embodied form of means for placing the various folding jawmembers under initial spring tension, the forward end Il of the plate Ilis proiected upwardly so as to slightly flex the spring members 24between the part Iii and the top plate 36. 'I'he support 28 may beintegral longitudinally, and to afford the individual resilient actionand regulation, plate 2l may be slotted, as shown at l2, between therespective springmembers 24, and these may be individually bent slightlyto vary the initial spring tension on the va-` rious 'members. A foldingjaw Il is shown, mounted on cylinder 22, and this may be of any known orsuitable form or construction, and may be provided with any desiredadjustments. A suitable folding blade is indicated at Bil.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specificmechanisms shown and dewithin the scope of the accompanying claimswithout departing from the principles of the invention and withoutsacrificing its chief advantages.

What weclaim is:- 1. A gripping device including in combination alaminated leaf spring Jaw and a shaft by which it is moved between openand closed positions.

2. A grippingdevice including in combination a shaft, anda grippingdevice mounted thereon and comprising .a plurality of laminated springleaves of graduated length. said shaft being osv cillatable to eifectthe gripping action.

3.v A gripping device including in combination a gripping membercomprisingl a plurality of 4 5. A gripping device including incombination a Jaw comprising a plurality of laminated leaf springs ofgraduated length forwardly, a cooper- Y ating jaw mounted for openingand closing movement, said laminated jaw having gripping contact nearits forward end. v

spring leaves of graduated length, and a support 45 Vscribed butdepartures may be made therefrom liminary tension 6. Ay slipping deviceincluding in combination a longitudinal support, a plurality of separatelaminated spring gripping devices mounted on 'the support. said supportand springdevices be`- ing movable together between gripping Vandnongripping positions.

7. A gripping device including in combination a rockable shaft, a jawmember comprising a plurality of laminated leaf springs oi graduatedlength forwardly. and means for imposing preon the laminated spring Jawmember.

the shaft. means for imposing initial spring tension independently onthe various sheet holding members, said shaft and sheet holding membersbeing movable between open and closed position.

10. A UrlDDing device -including in combination a shaft and a pluralityof gripping means mounted thereon, each comprising a plurality of springleaves of graduated lengths with their sheet-en gaging ends in closeproximity to each other said shaft being oscillatable to eii'eot thegripping action, said device permitting the running of widely diner-entsizes of products without adjustment.

li. A gripping device including in combination a rockable shaft, and aplurality of laminated spring leaf grippers mounted on said shaft. saidgrippers permitting the din'erent sized products to be run side-by-sidewithout change of adjustment.`

' CURTIS S." CRAFTS.-

CHARLES ALONZO HARLISB.

